The return of Idris Elba’s popular detective drama Luther gave BBC iPlayer a dramatic start to the year for BBC iPlayer, generating 3.7 million requests for the first episode and 11 million requests for all four episodes of the new series.
Drama dominated the first month of the year, with every episode of top twenty iPlayer programmes of the month coming from the genre.
The top 10 episodes on BBC iPlayer in January were:
| Rank | Programme | Episode | Requests |
| 1 | Luther | Series 5 – episode 1 | 3,710,000 |
| 2 | Luther | Series 5 – episode 2 | 2,590,000 |
| 3 | Luther | Series 5 – episode 3 | 2,443,000 |
| 4 | Luther | Series 5 – episode 4 | 2,331,000 |
| 5 | Silent Witness | Series 2 – Two Spirits, Part 1 | 2,184,000 |
| 6 | EastEnders | 01/01/2019 | 1,575,000 |
| 7 | Silent Witness | Series 2 – Two Spirits, Part 2 | 1,503,000 |
| 8 | Les Misérables | Series 1 – episode 1 | 1,489,000 |
| 9 | EastEnders | 04/01/2019 | 1,409,000 |
| 10 | EastEnders | 03/01/2019 – part 2 | 1,284,000 |
The top 10 episodes per series on BBC iPlayer in January were:
| Rank | Programme | Episode | Requests |
| 1 | Luther | Series 5 – episode 1 | 3,710,000 |
| 2 | Silent Witness | Series 2 – Two Spirits, Part 1 | 2,184,000 |
| 3 | EastEnders | 01/01/2019 | 1,575,000 |
| 4 | Les Misérables | Series 1 – episode 1 | 1,489,000 |
| 5 | Call the Midwife | Series 8 – episode 1 | 1,257,000 |
| 6 | Doctor Who | Resolution | 1,059,000 |
| 7 | The FA Cup | 2018/19 – Fourth Round: Arsenal v Man Utd | 976,000 |
| 8 | Death in Paradise | Series 8 – episode 1 | 945,000 |
| 9 | Luther | Series 1 – episode 1 | 943,000 |
| 10 | Match of the Day | 2018/19 – 19/01/2019 | 940,000 |
Dan McGolpin, controller of programming for the BBC, said: “It’s been a very good start to 2019 on BBC iPlayer with new drama in particular drawing large audiences in January.
“Viewers were delighted to see the return of Luther, Silent Witness and Call the Midwife and thrilled to see Andrew Davies’ brand new adaptation of Les Misérables.
“In terms of live programmes the FA Cup has already seen a number of high profile matches with the quarter-finals coming soon. There’s plenty more to look forward to on BBC iPlayer throughout the rest of the year.”
